Library Collection Development Policy - Appendices

Building a depository collection begins with a well written collection development policy, regularly reviewed and updated as appropriate. It should include the following to maximize your service to the community:

A community analysis of the Federal Government information needs of your library's users to include subjects, formats, languages, special products, and age-appropriate materials.

Identification of the information needs of the congressional district, state, region, or local area, and collect only the items best suited to meet those needs.

Strategies for meeting the Federal Government information needs of the primary library patron community and, if different, the general public. This may include cooperative collection development efforts with neighboring depository libraries.

Procedures for providing documents requested by users but not selected by your library; this may mean inter-depository coordination of selections, cooperative collection development, and interlibrary loan to provide access in your local area to seldom used items.

Intensity levels and subject strengths of your existing collection which you may want to continue and enhance, or which you may want to transfer to another depository to strengthen their collection.

Role & Mission Statement

The Calvin T. Ryan Library supports the mission of the University of Nebraska at Kearney through the provision of information resources and delivery of technology needed to support the teaching, research and scholarship of the UNK campus community, off campus education, and distance learning programs.

In fulfilling this mission, the Library acquires and manages informational resources and also cooperates with other libraries, especially those within the University of Nebraska system, to provide access to resources and services not physically available at UNK.

In partnership with teaching faculty, the Library strives to develop in UNK students an increased awareness of available resources and skills necessary to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate and utilize it effectively.

Because of the location and the nature of the resources, the Calvin T. Ryan Library also serves as an informational focal point for central Nebraska.

Purpose

The purpose of Calvin T. Ryan Library's government documents collections, which include federal and Nebraska state government documents, is to serve the needs of the University of Nebraska at Kearney's (UNK) undergraduate and graduate curriculum, its students, faculty, administrators, and staff, as articulated in the mission statement, above.

In accordance with requirements defined in the Federal Depository Library Handbook, Chapter 5, information needs of the residents of the Third Congressional District of Nebraska must also be considered.

Calvin T. Ryan Library was designated a federal depository in 1962 and is one of two federal government document depository libraries in the Third Congressional District of Nebraska. The depository library program is coordinated by the U. S. Government Printing Office (GPO). The Library was designated a depository for Nebraska state documents in 1978.

Calvin T. Ryan Library and the other smaller federal depository 300 miles west of Kearney are responsible for providing service to a geographical area covering approximately two-thirds of the state of Nebraska, comprising the Third Congressional District: 62,879 square miles (Nebraska: 76,877 square miles). The nearest depository to the east is 130 miles away in Lincoln and all other federal depositories in Nebraska are east of Lincoln. There are no depositories in Nebraska to the north or south of Keaarney. Collection development parameters for C. T. Ryan Library, therefore, are different than would be the case if another federal government documents depository was nearby.

This collection development policy will be revised to conform to the overall Library collection development policy if such a policy is developed in the future.

The Library is committed to providing free and unimpeded public access to government documents, both for its primary users and for citizens of the state of Nebraska. The Library is accessible to persons with disabilities, as are the government documents collections which are shelved in open stacks on the Library's second floor. A ramp and elevators provide access into the library and to the second floor. All government documents with the exception of selected reference titles circulate out of the library, for the same period of time as materials from the general collection. As an educational institution funded by the state of Nebraska, any citizen may check materials out of the Library with no cost.

The depository library logo is posted at the Library's outside entrance and in several locations in the Government Documents Department.

The Library currently selects 55% of the item numbers available to depository libraries. Selection is based on current and potential information needs of faculty and students, faculty research, information requested by community users, actual use of similar materials, and potential for use. As electronic access to government information continues to expand, the Documents Librarian will keep abreast of developments. The Library will provide access to electronic formats to the best of its ability. (See "Formats", "Access", and "Electronic Access" sections.) The Library has no plans to significantly increase the percentage of item numbers it selects. The addition of item numbers for electronic-only publications has resulted in a slight increase in the percent of item numbers selected by the Library over the last eight years (54%, 2001 to 55.2% in 2009).

As a Nebraska state documents depository, the Library received all documents sent under this program. There was no selectivity and documents were sent on microfiche only. Distribution of depository state documents on microfiche ceased in 2005. The Documents Department also receives selected paper Nebraska documents that it orders on a title-by-title basis or receives direct from various state agencies. Nebraska government agencies are increasing distribution of their publications in electronic formats.

Subject Areas and Collection Arrangement

The Library selects all of the titles listed in the "Basic Collection" recommended by the Government Printing Office, Federal Depository Library Handbook, Chapter 5.
All are cataloged and linked if online. (List updated by GPO, 19 March 2009; titles checked against Library holdings June, 2009.)

It will strongly consider all items listed in the Suggested Core Collection by Library Type section of the Federal Depository Library Handbook,
Appendix A (2008). A review done in October, 2000 of item numbers in this 47-page appendix showed the Library selecting 93% of all titles recommended for academic
depository libraries. The Library selects 89% of the total item numbers recommended for all three types of libraries on the list: small/medium public libraries,
academic, and law libraries. (Some item numbers on the lists are now inactive and no longer available for depository selection.)

In addition to a core collection, the Library will also determine which additional item numbers are needed to support the University's undergraduate and
graduate degree programs and needs of the public. The University of Nebraska at Kearney Undergraduate Catalog and the University of Nebraska at Kearney Graduate
Catalog (both at this link) lists of departments and majors offered are used as a guide to the curriculum.

Subject/area strengths of the collection include census materials, Congressional publications, education, government, social sciences, health and human services,
and criminal justice. These areas of concentration reflect, in part, programs offered by the University and needs of the surrounding geographical area.

Basic core materials are selected including reference tools, government periodicals, statistical series, Congressional publications, maps, directories, bibliographies,
annual reports, general publications, yearbooks, handbooks, manuals, and guides and other significant monographs and series from all federal agencies.

The Library does not select publications of a highly technical nature, posters, most picture sets, forms, press releases, separates when the main item is selected,
environmental impact statements, agency-issued laws and regulations, policy/procedure/training manuals meant for in-house use by government agencies, military manuals
and technical reports, and other types of material not deemed necessary to support user needs.

In general, selection decisions should favor inclusion rather than exclusion because there is no other depository in the area. Providing users with information
locally is preferred over referring them to the nearest federal depository library (130 miles away in Lincoln). The federal government's transition to electronic publishing
further broadens the information base available while simultaneously making it more difficult for the Library to provide service to users who may never enter its front door.
The Library's web pages, mentioned below, have a link for users to request assistance.

Within budget parameters, the Library will purchase appropriate paper and online indexes and equipment to provide access to the items it selects.

The federal government documents collection is shelved in Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) call number order in two collections: documents reference collection
and main documents collection. The Nebraska documents collection constitutes the third portion of the collections.

A selective housing agreement for maps has been in force with the Geography Department, University of Nebraska at Kearney, since 1985. Maps sent to this joint housing
site are checked in, to the piece level, in the Library's shelf list. All are stamped to indicate ownership, date, and depository status.

The Geography Department selects map series from the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (formerly Defense Mapping Agency) and the United States Geological Survey.
Selection is based on needs of faculty and students. The collection is open for use and check out by students and faculty from all academic departments, as well as the
public. When the joint housing agreement was initiated, the goal was to have more specialized maps housed in the Geography Department and to have coverage of Nebraska, the
United States and the world at different scales housed in the Library. This goal continues to guide development of the collection. Maps in the Geography Department are kept
in map cases with access provided by marked index maps. As with other government publications, fewer paper maps are currently being received as agencies transition to providing
them online.

A copy of the joint housing agreement, signed by the Director of Libraries and Chair of the Geography Department, was sent to the Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.,
and to the regional (Love Library, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska) when the agreement was initiated.

The joint housing site is consulted during the annual item number update cycle to determine if it wishes to add to its selections. In addition, it has been made aware that
item numbers may be dropped at any time during the year.

A joint housing agreement with Kearney Public Library and Information Center was in effect from 1986 through 1997 when it was terminated by mutual agreement.

Formats

Format will not be a primary consideration in selection of item numbers. Content and potential for use will be. The Library can provide access
to information in any format currently available, including microform and electronic. Paper is the preferred format for core collection titles and
general interest material, if a choice is available.

The Library has paper-to-paper copiers, microform readers, reader/printers, and scanners. The Government Documents Department has microform readers
and portable microfiche readers that may be checked out of the Library. Computers with open Internet access are available in the government documents
area and elsewhere in the Library. A printer connected to the Library's networked system is located in the Government Documents Department.

The Government Printing Office's "New Electronic Titles" lists, published monthly, are the primary selection tool for adding electronic-only titles to
the Library's catalog. All new tangible government documents received since 2004 are cataloged in the Library's online system and have links if available.
Selected older titles are also cataloged and some are linked.

Tangible electronic formats are selected based on information content and anticipated use. In some cases, items formerly published in paper are
available only on compact disc; if the paper item was selected, the compact disc one will be also. In general, all tangible electronic format publications
will be selected. Item numbers are less than specific (commonly, simply "electronic products" from an agency) so it is difficult to determine in advance
whether products will be useful or not. Item numbers can be dropped at any point if it becomes apparent that materials are not suitable for addition to the
collection. Compact discs with data only (no software) will be selected if deemed suitable to support specific academic programs and research. Discs that
contain information more suitable for agency in-house use are not selected.

The Department's web page provides links to sites that index federal agency electronic information by title and by subject. Bibliographies and class
handouts are also used to disseminate information about electronic government information.

Selection Tools, Non-Depository Items, Retrospective Sources

Selection Tools

The Government Printing Office's lists of New Electronic Titles, published monthly, are the primary selection tool for adding electronic-only titles to the Library's catalog. Emphasis is now being placed on electronic formats over tangible ones. Electronic availability better serves distance students and is becoming preferred by on-campus students. The general public also benefits when titles are linked in the Library's catalog.

In addition, all shipping lists are reviewed for potential new item numbers to add and to gain an overview of receipts under currently selected item numbers. A list is compiled throughout the year of item numbers to consider adding or dropping.

Item numbers created to separate out a title or series from an existing item are reviewed with the same scrutiny as item numbers that are new to the system. Item numbers for "general electronic publications" will generally be selected unless it is obvious that they do not suit the Library's needs. The item numbers can be dropped at any time if the titles received are unsuitable.

The lists of core materials and maps (see 'Subject Areas...' section, above) in the Depository Library Handbook and recommendations from the suggested core collection for small academic libraries were reviewed in 2000. (Library selects 93% of listed items.)

Non-depository sources with collection development information include GOVDOC-L (an electronic discussion list for persons interested in government documents), DttP, Documents to the People, and reviews and "best" document lists in Library Journal and other professional journals. Books such as Joe Morehead's Introduction to United States Government Information Sources and Boyd and Rips United States Government Publications also provide overviews of current and historical publications and series. In addition, news broadcasts and newspapers may indicate subjects of potential high interest to the local area. Input is welcomed from library faculty and library users as well.

Non-depository/Not Selected Items

With the availability of electronic-only publications, the Library is able to selectively catalog titles from item numbers it does not se
lect.

The Government Documents Librarian also uses the sources listed above to identify non-depository/not selected tangible titles for acquisition. With availability of titles on the Internet, very few titles are ordered now because many are on-line and/or are no longer available in a tangible format.

Retrospective Sources

The Library does not emphasize adding retrospective materials, primarily because of lack of space and demand. (See below for Library indexes to retrospective titles.) The institution's emphasis on scholarly teaching rather than research also influences this decision. However, efforts are made to replace materials that have been lost or damaged by reviewing discard lists on GOVDOC-L. Gaps in serial holdings are noted and searched also.

The regional library in Lincoln and interlibrary loan are used for retrospective materials not held in the collection. Users needing to do extensive research using retrospective materials are referred to the regional.

Resource Sharing

There is no other depository library in the immediate geographical area. The primary source for obtaining government information not available in Calvin T. Ryan Library is the regional: Love Library, University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The library at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is also a large federal government documents depository library.

Titles not held by the Library are requested through its Interlibrary Loan Office. The University and state college systems' on-line catalogs are accessible via C. T. Ryan Library's on-line system.

Standard government document reference sources and agency web sites can be searched for online publications. Agency sites also provide addresses and telephone numbers to pursue. GOVDOC-L is used for information and assistance with difficult reference questions. The federal documents librarian at Love Library and Nebraska Library Commission documents staff in Lincoln can also be used for reference assistance.

The Engineering Library at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a U. S. Patent and Trademark Depository Library. Users are referred there and to the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office's site for patent information. The collection contains basic patent and trademark publications.

As detailed above, a joint housing agreement is in place with the Geography Department on campus.

The Nebraska Library Commission moderates an on-line discussion group for Nebraska government document personnel. The Government Documents Librarian belongs to this discussion group.

(A joint housing agreement with Kearney Public Library and Information Center was in effect from 1986 through 1997 when it was terminated by mutual agreement.)

Collective Evaluation

Collection evaluation is done as part of the annual item number review in May-June and on an ongoing basis. Throughout the year a list of item numbers to consider for selection is compiled when shipping lists are reviewed. A list is also compiled of possible items to deselect. Since it is difficult to ascertain from the List of Classes whether or not a series is needed, searches by item number are done on Marcive WebDOCS to review past publishing activity and subjects. This helps determine, in a general way, the number of titles being sent under a specific item number.

As mentioned above, standard and core lists defined in the Federal Depository Library Handbook have been checked against selections. All core list titles are also linked in the on-line catalog.

Information about user needs is also gathered from questions asked in the Department. Statistics are kept of reference, quick, and general information questions answered in the Government Documents Department. Counts are made of government documents used in the department and elsewhere in the Library. Circulation statistics indicate use of the collection. The Library's on-line system has an option that allows users to send comments to the Library Dean. An option to make comments directly to the Government Printing Office has been added to the Department's web pages.

Weeding & Maintenance

Weeding of the collection is done on an ongoing basis and as space limitations dictate. On a regular basis, superseded titles in both tangible and electronic
formats are withdrawn from the collection. Weeding of the entire collection (except the Y'4's) was completed in June, 2009. Discard procedures established by the regional
are followed. For current instructions see: Discarding Procedures for Federal Selective Depository Libraries in Nebraska [no date; viewed 6/09]. These procedures state, in part:

all materials must be retained for five years, in keeping with GPO guidelines.

except for large runs of fiche sets, selective depository libraries may discard fiche without offering on a discard list.

floppy disks do not need to be listed

The following must be listed on a discard list and approval granted by the regional to discard:

paper materials received prior to 1970

documents about Nebraska or the surrounding geographical area

titles from the depository library core collection list

hard cover documents

depository CD-ROM products and their support materials

large runs of serials or periodicals

depository material deemed "significant" and of possible interest to other selective depository libraries in Nebraska

Love Library reviews discard lists from selective depository libraries, makes its selections, e-mails lists to all selective depository libraries in Nebraska, and
sets a deadline for claiming. After the deadline, the Government Documents Dept. may forward the list to the national "Needs and Offers List" if desired. The Government Documents
Department uses the Superseded List as an important part of its weeding effort. Notes are maintained in the bibliographic record for titles in which only the most recent edition
is kept. Discretion is used in following the List, however. The newest and next to newest editions of important titles are often retained, for example. The 2002 edition of the List
and its 2008 update formed the basis for the 2009 weeding project mentioned above.

Other considerations that may be used in discarding/weeding are:

need for the information contained in the document

currency of the information

age

apparent and expected use

physical condition of the document

availability of a more current equivalent on the Internet

The only tangible government document title routinely replaced by another format is the Federal Register which the Library purchases on microfilm. This practice
is no longer followed because of online permanent availability of the full-text of the Federal Register.

Cataloging

The Library's Cataloging Department processes all new tangible government documents. New titles received in tangible format are cataloged or checked-in in the Library's on-line catalog. If available, links are added to the bibliographic records. Electronic-only titles selected from GPO's monthly "New Electronic Titles" lists are sent to Cataloging to be added to the online catalog.

Assistance for Users

The Department is headed by an MLS-degreed librarian with over thirty years experience in government documents who works full-time in the department (except for assigned day, evening, and weekend hours on the main reference desk). The librarian is an associate professor and tenured. Other faculty librarians are stationed at the reference desk and provide assistance for government documents when the Documents Librarian is not available.

Commercial Indexes

Major commercial indexes held by the Library that include government documents are listed below. All are located in, or are accessible on computers located in, the Government Documents Department and elsewhere in the Library. Students, faculty, and staff may use the on-line resources from off-campus. Public access from off-campus to commercial electronic resources is restricted by vendor licensing agreements. The public is welcome to come to the Library, however, and use any of the on-line indexes/databases.Several major government-produced on-line indexes available to the public are linked from the Library's index pages including PubMed, STAT-USA and USA Trade Online (user limits apply), Medline Plus, NCJRS Abstracts Database, and the PILOTS Database.

The Department has a set of pathfinders for various resources ( linked below if online). Other guides have been written for federal legal research on LexisNexis Academic (a basic research guide and an advanced search tips guide), Nebraska legal research on LexisNexis Academic, LexisNexis Congressional, LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index, LexisNexis Statistical, the Nebraska Statutes, Nebraska documents, Nebraska legislative histories, Nebraska laws and legislation, and how to get started in government documents.

Guides, also prepared by the Government Documents Librarian, are available for American Statistics Index, Congressional Information Service Index, Index to U. S. Government Periodicals, and the Monthly Catalog of U. S. Government Publications. Paper copies of these guides are located by each index and on a rack by the Department's computers.

The Library does not have a series of subject-oriented pathfinders at present. See below for bibliographies done by the Government Documents Librarian.

Promotion

The Government Documents Department strongly subscribes to promotion of the government documents collection and the Library's depository status. A number of techniques are used to inform users and the public of the availability of documents.

Primary among them is to have all new tangible government documents included in the Library's on-line catalog where they may be located just like any other material held by the Library.

The depository library logo is at the front entrance to the library. Hardboard logos are displayed in the government documents area and depository logo decals are on all government document book trucks.

Government documents are included in Library bibliographic instruction sessions as appropriate.

Certificates from depository library inspections, including a Certificate of Merit, and the certificate designating the Library a Nebraska Documents Depository are framed and displayed in the documents index table/computer area.

The major publicity effort of the Department, the "New Government Documents" list, was discontinued January, 2006 at the request of the then-Library Dean. A number of bibliographies of government documents and guides to resources and indexes that had been prepared were not duplicated when the library transitioned to a new web site. Afterwards, UNK transitioned to a new content management system and those bibliographies are no longer available.

Bibliographic Instruction & Outreach

The Government Documents Librarian teaches a number of bibliographic instruction classes each semester. Classes are from assigned academic liaison departments and any others that request bibliographic instruction in government documents. An outline/bibliography is prepared for each class. During fiscal year 2007 - 2008, a total of 13 courses from five academic departments received bibliographic instruction from the government documents librarian. A total of 350 students and faculty were included. All presentations/handouts included coverage of government document resources.

In 2002, the Documents Librarian gave a presentation about government information on the Internet at a Nebraska Meridian Library System workshop for public and school librarians/media specialists. Handouts for finding government information at agency web sites, using a web index and a search engine were used. Sources of federal, state, and international agency information were given to participants. Updated federal and Nebraska agency web site bibliographies were included in the handout packets as was the draft of a co-authored book chapter about federal web sites for children and adolescents. ('Chapter Twenty-five: Federal and State Government Web Sites for Children and Adolescents'. Janet Stoeger Wilke and Diana J. Keith. In: Digital Resources and Librarians: Case Studies in Innovation, Invention, and Implementation. Pgs. 266 - 272. Edited by Patricia OBrian Libutti. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2004.)

The Department planned and hosted the annual state-wide federal and state depository libraries meeting in June, 2000. During the morning session Nebraska's federal regional depository librarian and the librarian in charge of Nebraska state depositories updated government document librarians and staff on recent developments. The afternoon presentation by a representative from the Nebraska State Data Center was about Bureau of the Census products, emphasizing expected 2000 census publications. Fifteen librarians and staff from ten Nebraska state and federal depositories attended the morning meeting and 18 were in attendance in the afternoon.

Other outreach efforts in the past include tours for area genealogy groups and presentations for the Universitys Summer Synergy programs.

Electronic Access

Computers in the Government Documents Department have the same capabilities as other public access computers in the Library and are upgraded on schedule with them. The Library furnishes ear phones for listening from its public access computers. It provides application software on all Library computers. A bibliographic instruction computer laboratory opened on the Library's main floor in October, 2000. A second student/public computer lab opened on the Library's lower level in the fall, 2002. The labs are open to anyone when not in use for library bibliographic instruction or information technology classes. All Library computers have CD/DVD drives and USB ports, full Internet access, and application software.

Access to individual federal document titles is available via the Library's online catalog. All newly received tangible documents are cataloged and linked if on-line. Older titles are selectively cataloged and linked. The Government Documents Department home page links to other titles and government sites.

Computers in the Library are available to the public during all hours the Library is open (92 1/2 hours per week, August - May; slightly shorter hours in the summer). Users on and off campus may access the Library's system and use federal and state government links and resources with no restrictions. The only exceptions to free access are indexes and databases restricted by vendor contract to use by the UNK community.

Computers are hooked into a networked printing system. Users may print from printers on any floor of the library. Student ID cards are encoded with free copies for networked printing at the start of each semester. When these are used, students must pay to have more copies put on their cards. The public must buy print cards. Three computers in the documents area print to the networked print system.

Within the constraints of its budget, the Library has initiated and maintained a commitment to providing access to electronic government information and will continue to do so in the future. To the extent that funding allows, the Library's hardware and software will be kept as current as possible.

The Future

Present trends indicate that federal agencies will continue to move from paper to electronic information dissemination. The impact of this shift has been much discussed in the professional literature and ranges from archival issues to indexing, access, and equipment issues. The Government Printing Office and Superintendent of Documents continue to plan for a more electronic depository library system. Priorities for the electronic depository should be access and indexing for each federal agency's home page, sub-agency pages, general reference titles, and individual titles. Accelerated assignment of PURL's will greatly assist with insuring permanent electronic access. Implications and implementation of the more electronic depository plan will affect the way depositories serve their clientele well into the future.

One certainty is that selective depositories will no longer be "selective". The issue then becomes one of sorting through what is available on-line and leading library users to what might be useful.

The responsibility for accessing government information will no longer rest almost solely with government documents departments. Other librarians will become more familiar with federal electronic information. Increasing the number of access options in the Library's online catalog will lead to a greater awareness and use of electronic government information for students, faculty, and the public.

Continuing efforts will be needed to identify on-line government sites and publications and publicize their availability. Service needs will change from on-site assistance and use of physical items in paper or microfiche to assistance with identifying likely sites and searching protocols. Major changes in the Library's service levels are not foreseen. The Library will continue to serve users who are familiar with needed resources and those who need a much higher level of assistance, whether the resource is a physical item or available electronically.

The Library will continue to be an regional resource for federal information in paper, microfiche, and electronic formats. It will act as both a repository for paper, fiche, and electronic products and as an alternative for users who do not have access to the Internet via their own computer.

The inexorable shift of federal government information from traditional formats to electronic dissemination is neither being led by librarians nor controlled by them. It has been mandated by Congress as a "cost saving" measure and the Government Printing Office must abide by what Congress dictates. There is no mandatory system that requires federal agencies to report electronic information they make available. There is no overall policy that ensures standard indexing, archiving, software, or format for agency publications.

The Government Documents Department of Calvin T. Ryan Library will stay abreast of future developments and, as best it can, within resource constraints, strive to continue to provide its users with services and access to federal government information in all formats.

* Appendix I needs revision. Revisions and updates in other sections of the Collection Development Policy supersede elements in this appendix. This appendix was approved in January 2001 with a last revision completed in June 2009.